


amaryllis

by humancorn



Category: TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms, The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bilbo Remains In Rivendell, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Battle of Five Armies - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Bilbo Baggins Loves Food, Bilbo Baggins has a thing for tea and biscuits, Cultural Differences, Everyone Loves Bilbo Baggins, Family Fluff, Flowers, Fluff, Gen, Hobbit Culture & Customs, Language of Flowers, Rivendell | Imladris, Slice of Life, Young Aragorn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:28:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26230426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/humancorn/pseuds/humancorn
Summary: Bilbo decides to stay in Rivendell after the end of his journey.Written for the Tolkien Reverse Summer Bang 2020!
Relationships: Aragorn | Estel & Bilbo Baggins, Arwen Undómiel & Bilbo Baggins, Bilbo Baggins & Elladan & Elrohir, Bilbo Baggins & Elrond Peredhel, Bilbo Baggins & Fíli & Kíli, Bilbo Baggins & Rivendell Elves, Bilbo Baggins & Thorin's Company
Comments: 8
Kudos: 48
Collections: Tolkien Reverse Summer Bang 2020





	amaryllis

**Author's Note:**

  * For [inkbadger](https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkbadger/gifts).



> The amazing artwork that inspired this fic can be found [here](https://lyrical-spirit.tumblr.com/post/628486249276211200/like-tolkien-this-post-is-for-you). The artiwork is also embedded in this fic & if you like it I would highly recommend checking out their other, equally as awesome, artwork! <3 You can find them on tumblr as [lyrical-spirit](https://https://www.lyrical-spirit.tumblr.com/), instagram as [clueistari](https://instagram.com/clueistari?igshid=fzhvtfsxdisv), or inkbadger on Ao3! 
> 
> Two things of note: 
> 
> 1) This is the first time I have written for literally any of these characters and I am definitely a bit nervous about the characterization of them. 
> 
> 2) We're gonna pretend Aragorn is still 10 years old in this. I forgot that setting a fic three years post-Hobbit would make him 13 instead of 10. Which doesn't seem like too big of a difference but hey, we're gonna ignore that oversight.

_ “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.” _

Bilbo sighed and set his quill back into the ink well. He’d read over the sentence ten times already, trying to figure out just how to continue this tale he’d been meaning to write for so long now. He read it again, taking a slow sip of his now-cold tea. Perhaps he could take a break to get some fresh water and maybe a couple of biscuits and then start again. 

Bilbo closed his eyes and sighed again.  _ No,  _ he told himself,  _ you have to sit down and actually do this. Don’t get distracted. You can’t keep -- _

There was a sharp knock at his door and Bilbo cracked his eyes open. Setting the parchment back down on his desk, Bilbo headed over to the door. One more soft knock sounded out as he opened the door, and he found Arwen on the other side. 

“Good evening, Bilbo,” Arwen smiled at him, “I was wondering if you’d like to take a walk through the East Gardens with me?” 

Bilbo considered this for a moment. He really should keep working on the book. He’d put it off for so long, he needed to--

“The hyacinths have just begun to bloom~” Arwen added, her smile turning to a mischievous grin. 

“Well,” Bilbo chuckled, “I suppose I could do with a bit of fresh air.” 

Heading back into his room, Bilbo grabbed one of his jackets ( _ as it seemed a bit chilly, and it always paid to be prepared! _ ) and one of his pocket watches and headed out the door after Arwen. 

Rivendell was beautiful in every season, really, but the spring was probably Bilbo’s favorite. The gardens were beautiful - filled with flowers and plants of all kinds. He’d lived here for nearly three years now and he swore that every spring he still found new plants he had yet to discover before. As it was, Bilbo liked to walk the gardens at least once every couple of days, and most times Arwen would accompany him if she was free. 

It was always interesting to walk with her in the spring. Often they would debate the different meanings of flowers, as Hobbits and Elves had apparently come to hold them in different regards. 

“What of this one?” Arwen said as she gestured to a growing patch of lavender and yellow  _ crocus _ . Carefully, she picked one of the flowers and held it out to him. 

“A symbol of good harvests and plentiful pantries,” Bilbo grinned and took the flower from her. He brushed his thumb over the middle of the bloom, “The orange bits can be ground up to make a nice spice.” 

“Really?” Arwen looked over the patch of flowers once more, “How odd.  _ Crocus _ are a symbol of youth and purity for us,” She said after a few moments. Bilbo chuckled at this and tucked the  _ crocus  _ into his flower pressing book. He’d label and date it when he got back to his chambers. 

Bilbo continued on through the gardens and Arwen followed, stopping to pick a new bloom for Bilbo’s book every so often. 

When they’d started taking walks together, years ago at this point, she’d been curious as to why he pressed the flowers he picked. It had been a habit he’d picked up over his long years in the Shire, cataloging and naming each of the flora he came across around Bag End and through Hobbiton. It had made itself useful along his journey all those years ago - having a baseline of what plants were safe to forage and what plants would poison them, or do much worse. 

The sun was high in the sky by the time they made their way into the innermost portion of the East Garden, where there was a little circular clearing and a few wrought iron tables set out to watch over the fields. Bilbo made his way over to the table that sat near a nestle of hydrangea bushes and sat down, enjoying the easy morning breeze as he set his book on the table. 

He admired the ironwork for a moment, thumb brushing over the smooth edges, and thought of the Company. They’d visited a few times in the years after their journey and had lugged this with them all the way from Erebor as a birthday gift for him, years and years ago. Bilbo smiled softly, his fondness for his friends warming his chest. 

It had been a while since he’d seen them, and every time they visited now, there were less of them. Perhaps he should pay them a visit of his own. 

“Bilbo,” Arwen called, eyes bright as she made her way over to sit across from him, “What do you know of this one?” Arwen questioned, holding out a beautiful deep pink bloom with small, nested petals. 

Bilbo hummed and took the flower, turning it over in his hands. It did look a bit familiar, but he couldn’t quite place where he’d seen it. It certainly hadn’t been in the Shire, though, he knew that much at least. 

“I don’t think I know this one, I’m afraid.” He said as he pressed it into his book, making a mental note to investigate the bloom further when they returned from the gardens. Surely Elrond would know what it was. 

“I believe this is the first summer we have grown them.” Arwen offered, gesturing over to the small bed of dark pink blooms, “My father brought one of them back after a trip to the Greenwood last year.”

Bilbo shut his book with a sharp snap, “Ah, yes, now I remember.” 

Arwen smiled at him, “So you have seen them before? I will admit I do not know much about them myself.”

“I saw them once when we were traveling through Mirkwood. They seem to prefer the shade, though that’s about all I know.” Bilbo watched as the flowers swayed with the wind, soft green leaves dancing below the blooms, “I’ll have to ask your father for their name, then.” He added. 

They lapsed into a comfortable silence and enjoyed the morning air in each other’s company.

\------

_ “It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube-shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats - the hobbit was fond of visitors.” _

Bilbo dragged a hand down his face as his quill hovered over the spot of the parchment where the next sentence was going to be. 

_ “A hole --”  _ No, no, Bilbo sighed,  _ “A tunnel?”  _ Bilbo thought for a moment, tapping the end of his quill against his pursed lips. He closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, trying to recall everything he knew about the hobbit hole he’d called home for the majority of his life. 

Bag End was warm and homely and filled with trinkets and books he and his family had collected over the years. Most of those little things, he’d brought with him here and they now lined the bookshelves in his chambers in Rivendell. All of his books were now lined nicely along the walls, the bookshelves full of his ever-expanding collection. A crystal arrowhead his mother had found on one of her journeys sat on one of the corners of his desk. Various trinkets he’d picked up on his own journeys scattered about the room. 

Bilbo’s shoulders slumped, heart sinking as he tried to put into words just how Bag End  _ felt.  _ He just couldn’t seem to capture that easy warmth that was present any time he thought of his old hobbit hole. He set the quill back in the ink well and walked over to his window, parting the curtains to look over the courtyard beneath his room.

It seemed like a nice day. Not too hot, not too chilly, and there was still enough time to go for a walk if he wanted. Arwen was away today, so he’d be going alone if he went,  _ or  _ maybe he could ask Elrond if he wanted to walk with him. Or any number of the other elves that seemed to be lounging around in the courtyard, enjoying the afternoon sun. 

_ But he needed to work on the book,  _ he reminded himself. Bilbo’s stomach growled and he frowned, letting out a long breath as he stared at the barely-started parchment taunting him on his desk. 

_ A small snack-break won’t do any harm,  _ he told himself as he hurried out of his chambers. Just as he was closing his door, he heard quick footsteps down the hall, running toward him. 

“Bilbo!” Elladan called, a wry smile on his face. Elrohir was not long behind him, looking rather displeased. They must have gotten back from their latest travels late last night or early this morning, and Bilbo was both glad to see them and also slightly concerned that they were seeking him out. They tended to only seek his company when they needed a disagreement to be settled.

“We need your assistance, my friend,” Elladan said, glancing over at his brother, “We are in competition to see which of us is more skilled in handling a longsword.” 

Elrohir huffed and stepped in front of his brother, “None of the others we have asked will judge for us.”

“Probably because you don’t listen to them when they judge for you,” Bilbo tried to sound annoyed at the implication that he was their last choice, but he obviously knew very little about weapons or combat. He stepped around them, determined to make his way to the kitchens and not let them distract him from his task at hand.  _ Get lunch and then head back to work on your book.  _

The twins followed him, each of them on either side as he made his way to the kitchen. 

“Come now, Bilbo, we will listen to you! We promise,” Elladan pleaded.

“Without a judge, Elladan will certainly cheat and the outcome of our spar will not be fair.” Elrohir huffed and Elladan glared at him.

“I do not cheat!” Elladan said through gritted teeth, “And if I did, all is fair in battle.”

Elrohir scoffed at him and Bilbo had just about had enough at this point. Swiftly, he turned on his heel, raising his hands to stop the twins from walking past. 

“If you will stop arguing I will judge for you.” Bilbo sighed, “Just let me get lunch first, alright?”

The twins grinned at him, high-fived, and gave him a simultaneous “Thank you, Bilbo!”, before telling him to meet them in the gardens when he was done getting his lunch. As they left, Bilbo had a distinct feeling of being played, but he brushed it off in favor of the lovely smells that awaited him near the kitchens. 

Bilbo ended up getting a sandwich wrapped for him and headed out toward the gardens the twins had mentioned. They were already sparring when he arrived, plopping himself down on one of the hills overlooking the garden. 

They stopped sparring when they noticed him and waved at him. Bilbo waved back and slowly unwrapped his sandwich as the twins explained the metrics of which he was to judge their match.  _ Technique, footwork, power, and agility.  _ How Bilbo was supposed to know what good footwork or technique looked like was beyond him, and as the twins began, he was a bit confused as to how he was even supposed to judge “power” as a concept, as he was not sparring with them. 

Bilbo took the first bite of his sandwich and let a small smile cross his face as he noticed the cook had tucked a biscuit into the pack he’d given him. Elladan and Elrohir’s swords crossed, metal clashing before taking steps back, each rethinking their approach. As he watched, he noticed Elladan was lighter on his feet - it was easier for him to dodge a blow but also easier for Elrohir to knock him back when he did connect a hit. Elrohir had a stronger stance and when his sword met his brother’s, it was hard and swift. 

They held up against each other well for a long while and by the fifteen-minute mark, neither had relented and Bilbo was quickly losing focus in favor of watching a bee hover over the flowers near him. A particularly harsh clash of metal brought his attention back to the twins a few moments later, just in time to see Elladan grin and drop low to a sweeping kick and knock Elrohir off-balance. As his brother stumbled back, Elladan quickly hopped up and brandished his sword, only to have his tunic caught by Elrohir and send him tumbling down with him.

Both twins were now grumbling insults at each other as they picked themselves off the ground and Bilbo couldn’t help but laugh at the scene before him. 

“I told you he would cheat, Bilbo!” Elrohir yelled and Elladan punched him in the arm. 

“That was not cheating, it was simple combat.” Elladan huffed, and Elrohir rolled his eyes. 

Both of them sat next to Bilbo on the hill, still arguing as Bilbo finished his lunch. 

“Bilbo, what did you think?” Elrohir huffed, turning to him after a few minutes. 

Bilbo sighed, considering for a moment. 

“I think it would not be fair to judge you on the same metric,” Bilbo answered, and he could tell that was not the answer either of them wanted to hear. 

“But Elladan cheated!” Elrohir whined and Bilbo cut him off.

“You each have a distinct style and they compliment each other. It would be hard to judge you by the same standards.” Bilbo explained, and the twins both looked at each other for a long moment. And Bilbo almost thought they were done arguing, that perhaps they would listen to him and it would be the end of it. 

Not moments later, they both jumped up and began arguing anew, this time about which fighting style was better, and Bilbo heaved a long sigh before heading off back toward his chambers. 

\---------

_ “The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill - The Hill, as all the people for many miles round called it - and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side and then on another.” _

Bilbo had gotten one sentence into writing when he’d decided that today was just decidedly  _ not _ his day. Storm clouds were heavy on the horizon, blocking out the sun and muting everything to a dull grey as a heavy drizzle of rain poured down from the sky. 

The rain had started up during Bilbo’s morning walk through the gardens and he’d been absolutely drenched by the time he was able to make it back to the closest building. On top of that, Elladan and Elrohir tried to rope him into deciding another argument for them, and  _ then  _ when he’d gotten to the kitchens for lunch they’d been out of his favorite type of bread  _ and  _ out of biscuits. Overall, a terrible start to the day and it just seemed to keep getting worse and worse as the day wore on. 

Elrond found him in the early afternoon, right after he’d managed to trip over his own feet and end up stumbling down a couple of stairs ( _ just three or four, mind you, but it still hurt! _ ) Elrond helped him to his feet and gave him a small smile as he brushed off his clothes. 

_Really,_ Bilbo grumbled to himself _, dirt all over my favorite waistcoat and everything. I ought to just--_

“I was hoping you would be in the mood for tea,” Elrond raised a brow at him as Bilbo took out and inspected his pocket watch, “Maybe a game or two?”

Bilbo huffed and carefully slipped his pocket watch back in his pocket. He looked up at Elrond and considered his offer for a moment. With his luck today, he may well lose every game of chess they would inevitably play, but tea  _ did  _ sound good and well, Elrond was the Lord of this land, maybe he could get the cook to whip up a few more biscuits to set him in a good mood… 

“Tea,” Bilbo began, tapping his pointer finger to his lips before tilting his head to the side, “and  _ biscuits _ ?” 

Elrond chuckled at that, “Of course.” He said, gesturing for Bilbo to follow him toward his private chambers in the east wing. 

He and Elrond had a friendly competition that had been ongoing since Bilbo had first come to Rivendell with the Company years ago. The first time they’d played was about a week into the Company’s stay in Rivendell and Bilbo had won, but then proceeded to lose every single match after that for the remainder of their stay. When he’d returned to Rivendell, on his way back to the Shire, they played twice and Bilbo won both times. 

Since making his home in Rivendell, he and Elrond had played countless times, and though Bilbo tended to lose more than he won, playing chess with Elrond was definitely one of his favorite pastimes. It was simultaneously relaxing and challenging, like a particularly good book, and he enjoyed the time they spent in each other’s company. 

It was still storming when they reached the private balcony that was attached to Elrond’s chambers, but there was an overhang that kept the rain out of the space. The chess board was already set up on the small table on the balcony and as he moved to sit down, Elrond called for one of the attendants to bring them tea and biscuits. 

The air was pleasantly cool, albeit a bit humid from the rain, and it was somewhat nice to watch the raindrops fall without fear of getting drenched. They sat in silence for a long moment as Bilbo watched the rain as it soaked the valley, droplets collecting and dripping down leaves and buildings alike. 

Elrond’s attendant returned a few minutes later, carrying two pots of tea and a full plate of biscuits. He set them down on the table and bowed to Elrond before taking his leave. 

Carefully, Bilbo opened the top of his teapot.  _ Jasmine and honeysuckle -  _ by far Bilbo’s favorite blend, even considering all of the tea he’d tried in the Shire, this was definitively his favorite. He smiled and put the top back on the pot, pouring himself a cup and dropping two sugars in. It smelled  _ heavenly.  _ And as he surveyed the spread of biscuits, he found quite a few of his favorites there as well: an iced lavender shortbread, marbled chocolate shortbread, and a few wafers. 

Bilbo grinned and selected a few, placing them gently on his plate before turning back to the chessboard. Elrond smiled softly at him and poured his own tea before gesturing for Bilbo to start the game. 

He moved one of his pawns, starting out slow, and watched as Elrond made his move. By the time they were about halfway through their game, the rain began to let up. The clouds parted to let a bit of sunlight through, and Bilbo was definitely starting to feel better as he took Elrond’s last knight. Chuckling, he set it next to the wealth of Elrond’s pieces he’d already captured. 

“I hope you’re not going easy on me,” Bilbo chuckled, taking a long sip of his tea. Elrond laced his fingers together and stared at the board, one corner of his mouth upturned in a wry smile. 

“I would not dream of letting you win so easily, my friend,” Elrond made his move, taking Bilbo’s queen. Bilbo took in a sharp breath as Elrond leaned back, smiling. “Check.” 

Setting his teacup down, Bilbo really looked at the board. There obviously had to be a way out of this, but it wasn’t presenting itself to him. He couldn’t capture Elrond’s piece and if he moved his last remaining bishop to protect his king, it would open another check from Elrond’s rook. 

He made eye contact with Elrond, trying to read him. It was something at which Bilbo had gotten better, but he still wasn’t very good. Bilbo had to be missing something. Sighing, he moved his king, and as he set the piece down, he could already tell that had been a mistake. Elrond’s smile had morphed into a barely contained grin.

He moved another one of his rooks to be right in line with Bilbo’s king and it was over. 

“Checkmate,” Elrond said, and Bilbo sighed, slumping back in his chair even as he smiled despite himself. 

“A good game,” He countered, and Elrond nodded in agreement, “I’ll win the next one,” Bilbo added, setting the board for play once again. 

\------

_ “No going upstairs for the hobbit: bedrooms, bathrooms, cellars, pantries (lots of these), wardrobes (he had whole rooms devoted to clothes), kitchens, dining-rooms, all were on the same floor, and indeed on the same passage.” _

It had been a nice morning. He’d gotten up early, had a nice breakfast, and now, Yavanna bless him, he was actually making progress on his book. He’d figured out the first paragraph,  _ finally _ , and after getting over that, the words were coming easier and easier. That was until he advanced on to his second page of parchment and another knock was at his door. 

Bilbo sighed and stared at the parchment for a long moment, trying to decide if he wanted to ignore whoever was at the door in favor of taking advantage of this rare creative opportunity where he actually had the motivation to write. He’d been wanting to finish this for  _ so long,  _ but another knock came, and reluctantly set the parchment down to see who was at the door. 

To his surprise, it was actually one of the guards, which  _ usually _ meant-- 

Bilbo’s train of thought was cut off as he was tackled to the ground, the smell of smoke and metal on the person who’d tackled him.  _ Kili.  _

“Sorry!” Kili said as he scrambled off of Bilbo, moving to help him up as soon as he was standing himself. Bilbo could hear Fili laughing in the background as Kili gritted his teeth at his brother, “Not funny!” 

Bilbo stepped past Kili to wave off the guard and found Nori, Dori, and Bofur following behind Fili. Which, he had to admit was a bit odd. It wasn’t like them to drop in unannounced and it wasn’t like Erebor was close to Rivendell by any stretch. 

“Welcome, welcome, come in,” Bilbo waved them in, wracking his brain for a possible reason why they would be here and coming up with nothing, “Make yourselves comfortable. I’ll go fetch some tea.” 

When he returned, Nori, Dori, and Bofur had all crowded themselves on the little loveseat in the corner of his living room, Fili had taken his desk chair, and Kili was standing with his arms crossed, grumbling about having to sit on the floor. 

Bilbo set the tea on the coffee table and took his seat in his favorite armchair. His friends were abnormally quiet, even with the now-present clinking of the tea set. 

“I’m sorry if I’m missing something, but,” Bilbo began, “what brings you here?” 

“Well, we were just in the area,” Fili said, but went quiet at a glare from Kili. Bilbo would have laughed if only Kili hadn’t looked so dreadfully serious. Kili took a long breath and looked like he was just about to explain why they were there, only to be interrupted by Nori. 

“We’re here to apologize,” Nori said, taking a sip of tea.

“Apologize?” Bilbo raised an eyebrow, “For...what?” 

Fili laughed again and looked over at Kili, “See, I told you!” 

Kili rolled his eyes at his brother and crossed his arms before puffing out his chest in indignation. 

“We missed your birthday this year,” Kili explained as he very pointedly looked at the floor instead of Bilbo. 

“Oh? Is that all?” Bilbo chuckled, a warm fondness filling his chest as Kili looked up at him, surprised. As if he were going to be upset that they had missed such a silly thing, “You are under no obligation to travel all the way here for something so trivial.” 

Kili looked lost as he stammered out, “But...but Ori  _ said! _ ” The rest of the dwarves roared with laughter and Kili’s face was turning a dark shade of pink. 

“Ori was playing a trick on you, then.” Bofur chuckled.

“Or perhaps he was just trying to get us out of the mountain so he could take over the throne,” Dori offered, eyes narrowing as he sipped at his tea. The others shook their heads and looked over at Bilbo. 

“Ori’s been talking our ears off about how important a hobbit’s fifty-fifth birthday is and how rude it was to you that we missed it for  _ weeks _ now,” Fili explained, leaning back in the desk chair. Kili ran a hand down his face.

“Fifty-five? Where did he get that?” Bilbo laughed, “Fifty-five for a hobbit is no different than any other year.”

Nori snorted and Kili buried his face in his hands. 

“Figured as much. He’s been reading all sorts of stuff lately. Apparently he found a book on hobbits and told us fifty-five was your coming-of-age. Would not stop talking about it until we came to see you.” Nori said and Dori nodded in agreement.

Bilbo sighed, “That would be fifty, then. Not fifty-five. Must have gotten lost in translation, or something of the like.” 

Fili smiled and clapped his hands, “Well, either way, we’ve brought gifts. Happy late birthday, Master Burglar.” The rest of the company grinned at him as Fili moved over toward the door, opening it and motioning for something to be brought in from outside. 

Bilbo gave a soft chuckle and smiled at his friends as not just a box, nor just a bag, but a  _ cart  _ of gifts was wheeled into his room. 

“You really didn’t have to do this,” Bilbo said, though he was happy that they’d thought of him enough to lug this big thing all the way here from Erebor for him, “this certainly calls for a bit more than just tea, then. I’ll tell Lord Elrond you’ll be joining me for dinner, and then we’ll see to those gifts.”

Bilbo ruffled Kili’s hair as he walked past and motioned for Fili to have the cart set in the middle of the living room before heading out. As he made his way to see Elrond, Bilbo found himself smiling, having forgotten entirely about working on his tale for the day. 

\------

Later that night, there was another knock on Bilbo’s door. This knock was soft and it came low on the door, so Bilbo knew almost immediately who it was. He set the book he’d been reading down on his nightstand and moved to open the door, finding exactly who he thought he’d find on the other side. 

“Good evening, Estel.” Bilbo smiled as the child shifted on his feet, clearly not wanting to ask to come in, but wanting to either way, “Would you like to come in?” 

Estel nodded and Bilbo stepped aside, shutting the door behind them as Estel stood silently in the middle of Bilbo’s room. He offered him a seat, and one of the biscuits he had left over from his dinner. 

“I imagine you’re here because you want a story, hmm?” Bilbo asked, and Estel nodded, “Which would you like to hear, then?”

Estel looked down at his lap and Bilbo gave him a sad smile. Grabbing his little mug of tea from his nightstand, Bilbo settled down in his armchair across from Estel. 

“Perhaps an old one?” Bilbo suggested, running through the tales his mother had told him of her travels, “The time my mother fought off a pack of wolves in the mountains is a particularly thrilling tale.”

Estel shook his head and looked up at him, his voice soft as he spoke, “I think,” he paused for a moment, as if considered once more what he was about to say, “I think I would like to hear about your journey?” 

Bilbo smiled at the boy, though inwardly he was panicking just a little. He couldn’t even put the words onto paper to describe his journey. From his beginnings in the Shire all the way to Erebor, words still eluded him to describe it. 

Estel fidgeted in his chair and looked back down at his lap, “If it’s alright, of course,” he added. 

_ Of course it was alright _ , Bilbo thought, closing his eyes for a moment,  _ it’s just a story. You’re good with stories.  _ Bilbo opened his eyes once more.

“Of course, lad. Now, where to start?” Bilbo gave him a grin, trying to get Estel to relax even just a little bit. He took a deep breath and thought of the Shire, of his friends, and the first night he’d met them, and began. 

_ “In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit…”  _

When the tale was finally finished, the sun had set and the moon was high in the night sky. Estel looked particularly sleepy this time and Bilbo made a point of walking him back to his room to make sure he got there alright. He thanked Bilbo for the story and gave him a sleepy wave before bidding him goodnight. 

When he arrived back to his chambers, Bilbo sat at his desk and looked at the parchment with barely a paragraph outlined on it. A soft smile crossing his face, he took the quill from his inkwell and began to write. 


End file.
